The Jeely Piece Song
Adam McNaughtan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I love on the nineteenth flair
But I'm no gaun' oot to play ony mair
Since we moved to Castlemilk
I'm wasting away
Cos I'm gettin'one less meal every day
Oh ye cannae fling pieces oot a twenty-story flat
If it's butter, cheese or jeely
If the breid is plain or pan
The chances of it reaching earth are ninety nine tae wan
On the first day ma maw flung oot a daud o' Hovis broon
It came skytin' oot the windae and went up insteid o' doon
Noo every twenty-seven hours it comes back intae sight
'Cause ma piece went intae orbit and became a satellite
On the second day ma maw flung me a piece oot wance again
It went and hut the pilot in a fast low-flying plane
He scraped it aff his goggles, shouting through the intercom
"The Clydeside Reds huv goat me wi' a breid-an-jeely bomb."
On the third day ma maw thought she would try another throw
The Salvation Army band was staunin' doon below
"Onward Christian Soldiers" was the piece they should've played
But the oompahman was playing a piece an' marmalade
We've wrote away to Oxfam to try an' get some aid
An a' the weans in Castlemilk have formed a 'piece-brigade'
We're gonnae march to George's Square demanding civil rights
Like nae mair hooses ower piece-flinging height
"The Jeely Piece Song" by Adam McNaughtan is a humorous and satirical song that depicts the perspective of a child living on the nineteenth floor of a high-rise building in Castlemilk, a area in Glasgow, Scotland. The singer laments that since moving to the high-rise, they are no longer able to go out and play freely like before. The key theme of the song revolves around the ineffectiveness of throwing food from a twenty-story building to reach the ground and be accessible to the hungry children.
The first verse describes the child's love for living in a high-rise building but also acknowledges the negative impact it has on their well-being. The line "I'm wasting away 'cause I'm gettin' one less meal every day" emphasizes the scarcity and lack of access to proper nutrition faced by children living in such conditions.
The chorus, "Oh ye cannae fling pieces oot a twenty-story flat, Seven hundred hungry weans will testify tae that, If it's butter, cheese or jeely, If the breid is plain or pan, The chances of it reaching earth are ninety nine tae wan," humorously highlights the futility of trying to throw food out of a high-rise building in hopes that it will reach the ground and be accessible to those in need.
The subsequent verses detail the comical consequences of the attempts to throw food from the building. From the bread going up instead of down and becoming a satellite to a slice hitting a low-flying plane, to the Salvation Army band playing "a piece and marmalade" instead of the intended "Onward Christian Soldiers." The song also mentions the children's activism, as they write to Oxfam for aid and form a "piece brigade" to march for their rights, advocating for lower building heights to ensure that food can be thrown to those in need.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a skyscraper wean
I am a child who lives in a tall building
I love on the nineteenth flair
I live on the nineteenth floor and enjoy it
But I'm no gaun' oot to play ony mair
But I am not going out to play anymore
Since we moved to Castlemilk
Since we relocated to Castlemilk
I'm wasting away
I am becoming weaker and thinner
Cos I'm gettin' one less meal every day
Because I am receiving one less meal every day
Oh ye cannae fling pieces oot a twenty-story flat
Oh, you cannot throw food out of a twenty-story building
Seven hundred hungry weans will testify tae that
Seven hundred hungry children will confirm that
If it's butter, cheese or jeely
Whether it's butter, cheese, or jelly
If the breid is plain or pan
If the bread is regular or in a roll
The chances of it reaching earth are ninety-nine tae wan
The likelihood of it reaching the ground is almost impossible
On the first day ma maw flung oot a daud o' Hovis broon
On the first day, my mother threw out a slice of Hovis brown bread
It came skytin' oot the windae and went up insteid o' doon
It slid out of the window and went upwards instead of downwards
Noo every twenty-seven hours it comes back intae sight
Now, every twenty-seven hours, it comes back into view
'Cause ma piece went intae orbit and became a satellite
Because my piece went into orbit and became a satellite
On the second day ma maw flung me a piece oot wance again
On the second day, my mother threw me a piece once again
It went and hut the pilot in a fast low-flying plane
It hit the pilot in a fast, low-flying plane
He scraped it aff his goggles, shouting through the intercom
He removed it from his goggles, shouting through the intercom
"The Clydeside Reds huv goat me wi' a breid-an-jeely bomb."
"The Clydeside Reds have got me with a bread-and-jelly bomb."
On the third day ma maw thought she would try another throw
On the third day, my mother thought she would try throwing again
The Salvation Army band was staunin' doon below
The Salvation Army band was standing down below
"Onward Christian Soldiers" was the piece they should've played
"Onward Christian Soldiers" was the song they should have played
But the oompahman was playing a piece an' marmalade
But the tuba player was playing a different song and marmalade
We've wrote away to Oxfam to try an' get some aid
We have written to Oxfam to attempt to receive assistance
An a' the weans in Castlemilk have formed a 'piece-brigade'
And all the children in Castlemilk have formed a group to share food
We're gonnae march to George's Square demanding civil rights
We are going to march to George's Square to demand equal treatment
Like nae mair hooses ower piece-flinging height
Like no more buildings above a height where food can be thrown
Contributed by Parker D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.